Authentic miniature Victorian and Edwardian doll’s dolls, toys, games and playthings for the discerning doll’s house child.
Designed and handcrafted by professional artisan Sandra Morris

Tuesday, 3 March 2015

Work in progress - Day 2

With the paint dry and my printed sheets 'cured', it's time to move on to decorating the box, inside and out.There are 14 sides/edges to the base, and another 14 to the lid making a total of 28 separate surfaces to cover, and trust me, it's not easy.I discovered early on, when I was making my initial prototype boxes that I needed twice as many sheets of paper as I thought I would, especially if I wanted to centre the patterns and have them matching all the way round.I also discovered that using glue to fix the paper in place was a disaster. Despite using very expensive coated paper, it soaked up the glue, swelling and expanding, then rippling and warping when applied to the box. Also, even the slightest drop of glue on the printed side left marks which were impossible to remove.Several prototypes ended up in the bin while I tried an assortment of different glues and a variety of methods of application, none of which proved successful.So after extensive research, I invested in a machine which applies a very thin, completely even layer of dry adhesive on the back of the paper. This solved the problem of the paper warping but as the adhesive is permanent, I only get one chance to precisely place the paper in position. If I get it wrong it has to come off and that piece is not reusable.It's a long, painstaking process, applying each of the 28 individual printed paper pieces carefully and methodically. However, another advantage of using a dry adhesive is that I can trim any excess immediately, using a surgically sharp scalpel blade, without having to wait for the paper to dry.

The lining is different to the paper used on the outside. I made separate floral strips to tie both designs together and to neaten all the edges.With the box fully decorated, I then added four little metal feet.Tomorrow..... starting to fit out the interior.